


Seven Devils

by konako



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Mentions of Violence, Post-Regina's First Dark Curse, Songfic but have an open mind, Storybrooke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 14:12:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10538145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/konako/pseuds/konako
Summary: They know. They carry torches to burn the Queen. Regina wants to die, but Red won't leave her to such an ending.





	

_Holy water cannot help you now_

_A thousand armies couldn't keep me out_

_I don't want your money_

_I don't want your crown_

_See I've come to burn your kingdom down_

Red threw her against the wall.

Regina barely registered the blow that throbbed down her head. The girl’s lips were numbing her senses to everything around them. Her skin burned hotter than the Queen had ever felt her burn.

How frightening was the hunger of the wolf about to devour her.

_And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out_

_******* _

 “They know” Red had whispered against her back, while the sun was setting for the last time. The taller woman’s mouth pressed against her shoulder — her voice muffled by the cloth covering Regina.

 “Let them know” had been the Queen’s response, echoing in the kitchen without minding being heard. Red’s arms tightened the embrace, wrapped gently around her waist. The pressure brought Regina closer to the werewolf’s warm body.

Her back was pressed against Red, and for a moment, the witch wished for nothing more, than to enjoy her touch — it could be her last.

“You don’t owe them anything” Regina had stated, feeling in Red’s very breathing how tiny and insecure she was. The older woman’s hands covered the pale forearms covering her waist, and she let her head fall back and rest against Red’s chest. _She smelled like forest._ “They don’t own you.”

“They’ll come after you. After us” The werewolf had insisted, nudging her cheek closer to the Queen’s. Her Queen. _She smelled of serenity._

“They will do you no harm. It’s _me_ they want.” Regina turned in Red’s embrace, pulling away from her body. Just inches apart, now. Red’s warmth still invaded her own skin, like fire. “They’ll leave you alone.”

 _“You are not guilty. I am. The sin is mine. They will extinguish it, as they burn my life. As they burn the witch that I am. And you will be absolved”_ crossed the Queen’s mind, but she didn’t dare say it. That was a truth that should remain deep inside her — sheltered in her black heart. Red didn’t need to know the end waiting for her.

The death that expected her, at the hands of Snow White.

“They won’t hurt you, if I can stop it.” Red looked deep inside Regina’s eyes. The green of her irises pushed through the Queen’s denial, and she could no longer hide that feeling that, every full moon, she struggled to ignore.

_She loved Red._

And Red loved her.

They were happy. And they _would be_ happy, if it weren’t…

“I will protect you” The werewolf insisted, oblivious to the peace that slowly painted the Queen’s brown eyes. Even in such turbulent times. Red failed to notice the woman tremble in her arms — her whole body fighting a stupid battle against her own love. Regina trembled for loving her. The feeling was too great for her weak and dark heart. It swallowed her whole. “Even from them, I will protect you, Regina.”

Regina smiled. Red’s kindness was overwhelming, almost suffocating. It killed her time and time again. And it brought her back, to a land where that her warmth and love was all that existed in her life.

She loved her.

Red loved her.

“I know, love, I know.” The Queen leaned closer to Red’s face, whispering over the thin skin of her lips, letting her breathing meet Red’s. So warm and pure.

She _knew_.

She loved Red.

_I'm gonna raise the stakes, I'm gonna smoke you out_

_******* _

There was an anger burning within Red that Regina could not fathom.

Her movements were more urgent and her kisses, hungrier. Deeper, more primal. Red was pure, submitting her on her bed and tearing her clothes off with astonishing ease.

Her buttons flew to the sides and rolled on floor, discarded and ignored. Her skirt shredded beyond recognition, when Red’s long finger tore her on a single motion.

She was hungrier than ever; more furious than ever.

But while the human teeth of her wolf traced soft, innocent bites up her skin — sliding from the side of her hips to her neck and down on the valley of her breasts —, Regina understood that Red’s anger was not aimed at her.

The wolf didn’t growl against her skin and wouldn’t dare snarl at her. No.

Red was angry at Snow. At Charming, at Emma.

At ever one of the townsfolk who had the audacity to raise torches and pitchforks in their march against the Queen.

Red had sworn. “I will protect you. Even from them.”

And the way the wolf burned — it was the beast, keeping her promise.

Leaving the last marks upon the tan skin, before it could no longer touch it.

It was only the two of them, after all. Just them, against the Charmings, against the whole town.

And Red knew, deep inside the clearest part of her mind, that Regina wouldn’t fight back. Not to defend herself, at least. But the werewolf refused to believe it. She insisted that Regina’s inclination to selfishness would retaliate and save her one more time.

In the end, the pair was certain of one undeletable truth: Regina sought redemption.

And if that was how _fate_ meant to deliver it, the witch would not refuse it.

Regina didn’t care what would happen to her.

And for that, Red burned. Stronger, hungrier, rougher. More than ever, for _both of them_. Red drained her of her hatred and frustration. Red was gathering her strength to fight the war the witch had long surrendered.

The wolf, in her defense.

“I will protect you”, Red repeated against her skin, in murmurs and whispers. Breathless, angry and impatient. Regina, however, was quiet. She laid on the bed, naked on the sheets, below the girl’s feverish body. She no longer replied. Her sharp gasps and moans was all that Red heard in return.

And still, Red insisted on reassuring her.

“I will protect you.”

_Seven devils all around me, seven devils in my house_

_See they were there when I woke up this morning_

_I'll be dead before the day is done_

_******* _

“Regina!” Red yelled, from the other side of the large yard. Regina didn’t hear her right away. Snow’s speech was vivid and furious, sounding loud and melancholic beside her ear. But Regina didn’t hear her, either. She heard nothing, really. She was focused only on the distant sight of the girl.

On the other side. Far away. Beyond her reach.

“Regina!” the werewolf repeated. Regina could see in her eyes the dread and despair. Regina could see only that, in the end. She wouldn’t dare look around. The coarse ropes restricting her arms, hips and ankles were enough to warn her about what truly surrounded her.

She noticed the smell of gasoline. She was sure Red could smell it too.

Oh. Was that why the green eyes were glowing gold? Out of fear. Out of anger. It was her goodbye. Her wolf, trying to keep her promise.

“Regina! Don’t _touch_ her!” Red growled. The sound cut through the crowd and silenced once voice at a time. Snow kept talking. Neither Charming nor Emma minded the scream of the animal. They didn’t hear Red as clearly and painfully as Regina did. The despair was palpable in her voice. Yet, they did nothing to calm her.

They were letting her wolf suffer, while they busied themselves with lying down wood and fuel.

Emma adjusted the ropes behind her. Charming commanded the crowd, holding on to his inseparable sword and a torch burning endlessly in his hand, too close to the tree Regina was tied to.

And Snow kept on speaking. Unending were the hurt and remorse she had accumulated over the years. And it would be far more satisfying if Snow knew that the Queen she cursed her hatred against was deaf to her words.

The growls were what mattered the most to Regina, now. Golden eyes, on the other side of the yard.

Red’s figure, tall, strong and slender. An undeniable power in her veins, allowing herself to be held back by two men — human men, of insignificant strength compared to hers. For Red knew that this was Regina’s wish.

_Seven devils all around you, seven devils in your house_

_See I was dead when I woke up this morning_

_I'll be dead before the day is done_

_******* _

“I know” The Queen assured her, pushing back a lock of the long brown hair away from the pale face. Red fought the tears that wanted to fill her eyes. “I know that you will protect me, my wolf. But, please, don’t take my redemption away from me. My happy ending. I deserve what comes for me. Let them find me. Let them punish me. That is how my story ends.”

“No. It is not. I am your happy ending” Red sobbed. Despite her legendary loyalty, she wouldn’t be able to honor that wish. Her mate’s final wish.

“You are” Regina laughed at the childlike sound of the girl’s voice. She wasn’t crying, her eyes dry. She had to be the strongest of the two. At least, at the end. “And it’s because of that, that my story ends well. With you by my side. And me, freed from my sins.”

“Let me die with you, then. I, too, have sins for which to pay. I…” Red lowered her head, leaning her forehead against Regina’s and whispering a crying plea. “I don’t care about redemption, if I can’t be at your side. If my past is will have me burned, let it be now, alongside yours. At the same time. I don’t want to live a day in a world you no longer exist.”

“Oh, my wolf. You story hasn’t come to an end yet. You are _my_ happy ending,” Regina kissed the tip of her nose, and then the tear staining the pale cheek. Even her crying was warm. “But I am not _yours._ You deserve a better ending. Let me be, then, your middle. You journey.”

“No,” Red almost snarled, recoiling her face away from Regina’s, tightening her grip on the Queen’s hands. “I will protect you.”

_  
_And now all your lies will be exorcised__

_And we will find your sayings to be paradox_

_******* _

 

Whale and Archie had fallen to the ground, as quickly as Regina had the time to close her eyes in exhaustion. And then, she had lost sight of Red. All that she saw was a black blur crossing like wind on her peripheral vision.

She heard growling. Teeth snapping. Bones breaking.

 _Oh._ She looked up. _It was a full moon._

_And it's an even sum_

Was that why Snow had chosen that night to burn Regina at the stake? So that the traitor of her cause could sabotage her plans of vengeance? Was that Snow sabotaging herself? Was Snow truly that coward, to the point of being incapable of throwing a single spark at the fuel and reducing the witch of her story to ashes?

Snow was weak. And she had trusted that Red would show the same kind of weakness — and come to save her from her cowardice.

_It's a melody_

Because the giant black wolf that charged forward, snarling and killing — It didn’t come for Snow. It didn’t come out of benevolence.

Red was breaking her promise.

Red was coming to save Regina.

_It's a final cry_

Regina closed her eyes. And she thanked whatever power greater than hers, that her wolf was so stubborn.

“Come, Red,” She whispered to the night’s wind, feeling a single hot tear trace down, lonely, on her cold face. “Come, my wolf.”

_It's a symphony_

*******

_They can keep me out_

_'Til I tear the walls_

_'Til I save your heart_

_And to take your soul_

“I will _eat them_. I swear, I will eat them!” Red sounded so angry, yet so happy.

Regina laughed. Her wolf was like a child. Her wolf was her life. And what a wonderful life, Regina had.

“I’m sure they would upset your stomach” The older woman joked, trying to raise this barrier of humor between her mind and her pain.

Red’s touches were gentle, but there wasn’t a touch soft enough to keep her wounds from hurting.

The girl heard the high-pitched moan, and the slight shaking of her Queen. Green eyes immediately raised to her face and Regina had to force a smile to calm Red’s nerves. “I’m sorry,” Red breathed, going back to dip the bandages in medicine.

Regina watched as the gentle long fingers touched and tended to her wounds. She had a surprising delicacy to it. As surprising as the contrast in her personality.

The girl that now sat on the floor of her living room, nursing her burns was the same woman that had torn apart the men that inflicted them.

It was eerie, how such brutal murderous strength could exist in the same woman that showed her nothing but kindness and love. Regina would find it mad, if she didn’t know that both the primal rage and the purest compassion were born from the same feeling.

In her darkest form, Red still loved.

Regina’s legs were burnt. It was what sting the most, at least.

The wounds caused by the fire were the deepest. They had devoured her skin and marked scars for the rest of her life. Despite all, Regina was glad that she had survived — glad to know her wolf couldn’t keep her promises.

“ _I am your happy ending”_ The memory flashed on her mind against her will, as she watched Red’s loving touches care to her legs. The concentration in the green eyes, so devoted that the werewolf worked unaware of the heavy attention on her.

The smile had not faded from Regina’s lips since then.

“What are you looking at?” Red asked gently, with a curious grin. The Queen blinked back to reality, welcoming the bright eyes with warmth.

“You” She replied, holding back a quiet laugh at seeing Red blush.

“Is that okay? Does it hurt?” The werewolf averted her gaze to Regina’s legs, hiding her sudden shyness. “I don’t know how much I should apply — I don’t know much about how these things work. If you want, I can run to get more. The pharmacy should still be open—“

“It’s perfect” The Queen nodded, calming Red’s blushing nerves. The girl coughed an embarrassed laugh.

Oh, her wolf. So innocent, and so feral.

“Thank you” Regina spoke in the silence — her words heavy and profound.

They both knew what Regina was thankful for.

Red let the blood flow its normal curse through her body, returning the fair shade of her cheeks. She shook her head. “You don’t need to thank me. I know you will make me pay for breaking the promise.”

 

_For what has been done_

_Cannot be undone_

Regina had wanted to die.

Regina had wanted to pay or her sins. She had asked for it. She had asked her wolf, _“Let me die. While my end is a happy one”_

But Red had refused to listen. “ _I’m not going anywhere. If it is up to me, you will live for many years more, as happy as you are now. Your ending hasn’t arrived.”_

 _“It is_ not _up to you”_ She had insisted, but Red had shut her protest with another kiss. And her back was pressed against the wall one more time.

“ _I know. I will protect you.”_

Red hadn’t allowed her to die. And for that Regina was grateful. The wolf that couldn’t obey its Queen’s dying wish — disobedient, insolent, defiant wolf.

Her wolf.

Red saw the tears forming again in Regina’s eyes. Ever since the werewolf had challenged the witch’s orders and saved her from the fire, Regina seemed more inclined to reveal herself — truly and openly. Without her masks and reservations. She cried more easily now. She was happy. Happy that she survived. Happy her ending hadn’t come, after all.

Red loved Regina.

When the tears rolled on the tan face, the Queen closed her eyes and tried in vain to keep the sobs from swelling in her throat. But her lips trembled — the Queen wasn’t as cold anymore. No longer inhuman.

Red loved Regina.

The girl said nothing. She just let the sobs and the cry of her love sound in the air and fill the silence.

Regina needed to cry.

_In the evil's heart_

_In the evil's soul_

And Red would let her. She would honor, at least, that wish. Harmless, fair wish — to cry.

She laid a gentle kiss on Regina’s knee. And upon feeling the touch, the Queen could no longer keep quiet, and her voice rose, sobbing, exposed and vulnerable.

“ _You are my happy ending”_

Red loved Regina

And Regina loved Red.

 

 


End file.
